Last Gun Alchemist

Ezra looked plainly at Leofirc Hawthorne, who had just placed his hand behind his back after helping Ezra warm his fruit wine with the Law of Inversion.

The sudden appearance of Leofirc in front of him had caught Ezra slightly off guard, although he didn’t think too much about it. The young man had approached without making much noise, and before Ezra could properly react, he had already used his Cognis to change the temperature of the drink.

Ezra lowered his eyes toward the glass.

The fruit wine was no longer cold.

In fact, it was probably too warm now.

"Yo, Ezra."

Veda suddenly popped out from behind Leofirc, his face appearing between the two of them.

"What did you do?"

He asked while looking at Leofirc with curiosity, clearly wondering why he had suddenly leaned so close to Ezra.

Leofirc smiled proudly.

"I just helped him warm his fruit wine since he said he doesn’t like cold drinks, using a little bit of the Law of Inversion."

He explained as if he had just done something rather impressive.

"That’s so cool."

Veda’s eyes widened with genuine amazement.

"You’ve reached that level of control and understanding of the Law? That’s really cool."

His voice carried a clear sense of excitement.

Nickolas, Linda, Tracy, and the few other students who had come with them also nodded in agreement.

They had all noticed what Leofirc had done.

It wasn’t difficult to heat something using ordinary methods, but Leofirc had used the Law of Inversion to alter the cold temperature around the drink and turn it into heat, and he had done so on a small controlled scale.

For someone around his age, being able to control the Law at such a level was something worth praising.

Leofirc scratched the back of his head.

"I trained hard."

There was a slightly embarrassed smile on his face, as though he didn’t know how to respond to the praise.

Ezra, however, interrupted the conversation.

"It’s too hot."

Everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward him.

Ezra lifted the glass slightly.

The fruit wine that had previously released cold air was now giving off visible heat. Small waves of steam rose from the surface, and the glass itself had become warm enough that Ezra had to adjust his grip slightly.

Leofirc’s eyes widened.

"Ah..."

He looked at the glass in Ezra’s hand.

His proud expression disappeared almost immediately.

"I’m so sorry."

He placed both hands together in front of himself.

"I guess I haven’t gotten the hang of altering cold into heat at such a small and controlled scale yet."

He sighed while looking somewhat disappointed with himself.

Ezra looked at him for a moment.

"It’s fine."

His tone remained calm.

"At least it’s better than holding it cold."

Leofirc paused in the middle of his worried expression.

He slowly looked at Ezra.

For a moment, he didn’t say anything.

Then he leaned closer to Veda.

"He really sounds like your sister."

He whispered.

Veda glanced at Ezra before quietly answering.

"Yes, he does."

Ezra narrowed his eyes slightly.

His gaze shifted between the two of them.

They were whispering about him while standing right in front of him.

He didn’t need to hear every word to understand what they were talking about.

Still, he decided not to bother asking.

Leofirc straightened his posture again and turned toward Ezra.

"Well, it’s nice to meet you, Ezra Ashenlocke."

His expression returned to its usual friendly appearance.

"The creator of the Phantom Rolls and the one who helped Cute Vera create the firearms."

Leofirc stretched out his hand.

"My name is Leofirc, from the Count House Hawthorne."

Ezra looked at his extended hand before reaching forward and shaking it.

"Ezra Ashenlocke."

Their hands separated after a brief handshake.

Leofirc continued looking at Ezra.

For some reason, his expression became slightly tense.

"So, you and Vera..."

He asked.

There was a clear curiosity in his voice now.

Ezra already had an idea of where this conversation was going.

"Business partners."

He answered immediately.

His tone was flat, and he didn’t waste any time giving Leofirc a different answer.

"Business partners, huh?"

Leofirc’s expression relaxed slightly.

"She did say the same thing to me, but..."

He leaned slightly backward.

His eyebrows rose as he recalled something.

"The way she mentioned loving your beautiful mind felt so different from the way she speaks to me."

His voice carried a little frustration.

It wasn’t anger.

It sounded more like someone who had been trying to understand something and had failed.

Ezra stared at him.

"I see."

That was all he said.

Leofirc blinked.

He had probably expected more of a reaction.

Instead, Ezra simply looked at him with the same plain expression he had been wearing since the conversation began.

"Well, it’s good meeting you."

Leofirc smiled again.

He raised two fingers and pointed them lightly toward Ezra.

"I’ll go and greet my little family members now."

He turned around and waved toward the group.

"See you guys."

Veda waved back lightly.

Nickolas, Linda, and Tracy did the same.

Ezra also raised his hand and gave a small wave.

Lucy, Cole, and Tracy’s attendant bowed respectfully as Leofirc passed them.

Leofirc returned their gestures before walking away toward another group of Hawthorne family members who were standing farther across the mansion.

Ezra watched him leave for a few seconds before turning his attention back to Veda.

"See?"

Veda spoke while looking at Ezra.

"He seems like a nice guy, I guess."

Ezra’s expression remained plain.

"I don’t know how to perceive that reply."

Veda said before he paused.

"But I’ll take it like that."

He gave him a thumbs-up.

The two stood together for another moment before a male upperclassman approached them.

He was wearing the formal clothes of a Golden Circle member, and his posture was straight as he stopped in front of them.

"Young Lord Veda, and Mr. Ezra Ashenlocke."

He spoke calmly.

"The Faction Head calls for you two."

Ezra and Veda turned toward him.

The two exchanged a brief glance before nodding.

"Alright."

Veda replied.

They followed the messenger through the mansion hall.

As they moved farther from the main gathering, the noise of the party gradually became quieter. The music could still be heard behind them, but the conversations became less distinct as they passed through another section of the mansion.

The messenger eventually brought them toward a larger gathering.

When they arrived, Ezra noticed several recognizable faces.

The Fourth Prince was there.

There were also several noticeable members of other Duke Houses among the first-years who had been called to meet the Faction Head, the Third Prince Aldric.

Veda and Ezra approached the group.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Both of them bowed politely.

Aldric looked toward them and smiled.

"Greetings, Young Lord of Ash."

He returned the greeting politely before giving Ezra a light wave of acknowledgment.

Then another voice came from behind him.

"The rising young craftsman of Britannia."

Princess Victoria Aethelmont walked out from behind Aldric and approached Ezra.

Her yellow eyes looked him up and down calmly, almost as if she were trying to understand the young Alchemist standing before her.

Ezra remained still.

Victoria placed one hand beneath her chin while folding her other arm across her chest.

"Did you watch the reveal of Louis Evergrey’s Vehicle?"

She asked.

"I did."

Ezra replied in his usual plain tone.

"Oh... oh..."

Victoria leaned closer.

"What do you think?"

She asked another question immediately, clearly interested in his opinion.

Ezra was about to answer when Aldric spoke.

"Enough, Victoria."

His voice remained calm.

"I want to get into the business I called everyone here for."

Victoria paused.

"Okay, okay."

She placed both hands behind her back and moved away from Ezra.

She smiled lightly.

"It’s nice to meet you again, Ezra Ashenlocke."

She said calmly before returning to Aldric’s side.

A few of the upperclassmen standing nearby watched her leave and faintly blushed.

Ezra only tilted his head slightly.

He didn’t seem to care about the interaction, but one word stood out in his mouth.

Again?

Was she part of the hidden VIP guest during the Auction Event?

Aldric waited until everyone had settled down before speaking again.

"Apart from Ezra Ashenlocke, the rest of you are already part of the selection for the Student Council members."

He looked across the group.

"Some of you are in the selection process for becoming simple council officials."

His gaze moved toward the first-years chosen for those positions.

"And you who were chosen to be amongst the selected first-years to be part of the main Student Council..."

His eyes moved toward Veda.

Then toward his younger brother, Charles.

Then Starke Drakes.

And finally, Gill Galehart.

"We will help you with everything we have, especially toward the first-year student representative election."

Aldric paused.

"That election will take place during the first month of the second semester of your first year."

He pointed toward the boys with a calm expression.

"So, I want to be sure."

His gaze settled on Veda and Starke.

"Are you two sure you are okay with supporting Charles toward representing your first-years in this Faction?"

Aldric’s expression grew more concerned.

"Considering he might be up against stronger opponents."

His eyes shifted toward his younger brother.

Charles immediately lowered his head when Aldric looked at him.

Aldric then returned his attention to Veda and Starke.

"It would be best if it were among the two of you to represent the Golden Circle first-years, since you two are our strongest candidates."

His words carried genuine concern.

He wasn’t simply giving them an order.

He was making sure they understood what they were giving up by supporting Charles.

Veda remained quiet for a moment.

Then he placed a hand against his chest and looked toward Charles with a pleased smile.

"Don’t worry, Your Highness."

His voice was confident.

"I will use that strength of mine to bring Charles to become the best representative of this Faction."

Charles looked up slightly.

Veda continued smiling.

He didn’t seem bothered by the fact that he could have taken the position for himself.

Instead, he appeared determined to use his own ability to help Charles succeed.

Starke nodded.

"I support what the Young Lord of Ash said too."

His voice remained calm.

Aldric looked at the two boys.

"Okay, okay."

He waved one hand.

"We will still have to go through the voting method before anything is decided."

He sighed lightly.

"Whether you two are able to help this younger brother of mine, we will see soon."

The concern in his voice had not completely disappeared.

There was still a lot that needed to happen before the first-year representative was chosen, and Aldric clearly understood that strength alone wouldn’t decide the result.

For now, however, the Golden Circle had its candidates.

And the first-year student representative election had already begun to take shape long before the actual voting day arrived.

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